Molecular and Cellular Biology of Cancer Program ABSTRACT The mission of the Molecular and Cellular Biology of Cancer (MCBC) Program is to facilitate basic cancer biology research and accelerate the application of basic science discoveries into the clinic for cancer therapeutics and prevention. To achieve this, the Program brings together world-class investigators in the areas of DNA damage response and repair, RNA biology and therapeutics, cancer metabolism, and oncogenic signaling to generate synergy in the war to fight cancer. The scientific themes of the Program are 1) To define the relationship among DNA damage and repair, mutagenesis, and carcinogenesis at the molecular level and to develop therapeutic regimens based on identified targets including molecules involved in DNA damage response, repair, and epigenetic changes; 2) To define and characterize fundamental biological mechanisms for novel microRNAs and long non-coding RNAs in tumor initiation, development, and metastasis as well as to develop technology based on non-coding RNAs for cancer therapeutics; and 3) To elucidate signaling pathway alterations due to metabolic imbalance that result in cancer initiation, cancer cell proliferation and/or death, and metastasis and to improve the design of cancer therapeutic regimens. Targeted recruits who are nationally prominent have brought depth and breadth to the program and include: Drs. Mark LaBarge, Kevin Morris, Zijie Sun, Debbie Thurmond, and Xiaochun Yu. The Program is led by Drs. Binghui Shen, Professor and Chair of Cancer Genetics and Epigenetics, and David Ann, Professor in the Department of Diabetes Complications and Metabolism in the Diabetes and Metabolism Research Institute. In addition to its scientific goals, the MCBC Program seeks to promote inter- and intra-programmatic collaborations, facilitate access to new technologies and resources, create forums for scientific exchange and discussion, discover and elucidate basic cancer processes that can be collaboratively translated to the clinic, and mentor the Program?s junior faculty. Membership: 25 Members representing 11 academic departments Publications: 270 total. 18.5% intra-programmatic; 39.6% inter-programmatic; 28.9% inter-institutional Funding: $8,175,843 peer-reviewed; $3,301,399 of which is NCI funding